Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s interaction with students from across India at Srinagar
Question - Dear hon’ble Prime Minister I am K. Deepika pursuing B.A. Journalism Final year from Government degree college for women, Begumpet, Hyderabad, Telangana. Sir we have seen many initiatives for education in the last five years. Are you satisfied with your efforts in the education sector? Thank you for giving me this opportunity.
Prime minister - I thank you for this question and I have got a chance to interact with some two and half crore youth across the country, thanks to technology! The same thing can be seen in two different ways. As far as efforts are concerned, I am satisfied that we are moving forward in the right direction. We are going ahead with fixed time table and we want to achieve a global standard in education. We want all theyoungsters of our country to be able to get this opportunity in their desired field. One of the functions of the government is to develop those facilities. We are emphasizing on the kind of institutions that would cater to modern India. We are working on the development of IITs, IIMs. Similarly, skill development is a huge sector on which we are emphasizing. A large number of youth in our country today go abroad for higher education. Billions of rupees go abroad. It’s our endeavour to build such system of education that students from abroad will come to India for good education instead of our students going abroad. As far as direction is concerned, I am very satisfied. In a short span of four and a half years, the magnitude of work done is very satisfying. My satisfaction doesn’t lie in boasting about the achievements, but satisfaction means setting new dreams, new goals, and striving to achieve the new goals. So, satisfaction doesn’t lie in being complacent but in working towards realizing new dreams. Thank you!
Question: Dear hon’ble Prime Minister, I am AnamitraMahanta from Assam. Sir, we are seeing many uses of this digital India in our day to day lives including education. How do you see its impact on our country and our people? That concludes my question thank you.
Prime Minister- See, humans have been evolving continuously. Technology has been a huge driving force in it. New innovations have continuously changed human life. The world changed rapidly along with Innovation and technological intervention in the last 200-300 years, but just in the last 40-50 years technology has made a quantum jump. It happened in various new dimensions, be it space, our understanding about oceans or of geology.The digital world has played a very big role in the same. Today I am able to talk to you so comfortably. I am in Srinagar and talking to 2.5 crore youth across the country about education. This is the biggest impact. You just saw in Bandipura, a BPO was inaugurated and it’s the first BPO, which is a result of the digital revolution. Let us take the example of ‘AADHAR’. It’sa part and parcel of digital revolution. When I tell the world that we have a detailed list of 120 crore people, they are surprised. We have such wealth of data andit is a result of digital revolution. We have launched the JAM Trinity by the Government of India. Any common citizen of India can sell any goods to the government through ‘Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, and Mobile’. Today several free apps related to education are available everywhere. As a result of this, some students are able to do their homework through the app and some get to learn new subjects. Probably there will be a time when the concept of tuition centres and coaching centres might end. This is the strength of Digital India. The digital world played a big role in governance as well. The digital world plays a big role in transparency. In short, not just in education, but the digital world has become a new part of our lives. We cannot live without it. If we focus on how to use it in a right way or how to use it for the welfare of maximum number of people, digital power can be a huge revolution for us. On the other hand, in the case of distance education, we can reach the poor living in the jungles or in the mountainous regions and can provide quality education through digital connectivity. It can play a very effective role. I also see that many young people today are teaching children through virtual labs. Thus, the confidence of student increases. Today due to the use of 3D projection in classrooms, students can understand concepts like the anatomy of heart better, than they did in the teacher’s classroom.
It is very receptive. I did a small survey once when I was the Chief Minister. We wanted to see the difference between the impact on primary government schools under the mid-day meal scheme, and the impact created by digital smart classrooms. Some schools had smart class roomswhile some schools didn’t. The emphasis was on the mid-day meal. Midday meal was provided in both categories of schools. It was found that the schools with smart class roomsattracted the students more. They were not concerned about themid-day meal much. Slum children used to study thereand enjoy it very much. They did not care about the midday meal. Teachers had to drag them to school even under the midday meal scheme. And it was found that in the schools where there was only mid-day meal, theattendance was low. The same mid-day meal was providedthere, but they were not interested in classes due to the absence of smart classes. That was the impact of digital classes and it is also going to have a great influence on higher education in the coming days. Thank you!
Question - Honorable Prime Minister! My name is Gaurav. And I am from Kurukshetra University, Haryana. Sir, it pains us to see poverty in our country; we have seen your efforts to remove poverty in our country. Do you think we can become poverty-free India in future?
Prime Minister - If the country decides that they have to be free from poverty, then no power can stop them. There is so much power in our 125 crore countrymen that if our natural resources or human resources can be planned properly, poverty eradication is not difficult. I can say from the experience of four and a half years’ tenure that two things have emerged recently. Firstly, India is number one among the fastest growing economies of the world. Every Indian would be proud of this. Secondly, an International Agency collaborating with U.N. said that India is also the topmost country in moving out of poverty at a fast pace. The power of a new middle class is rising very fast. They also stated that the schedule caste people of India and the Muslims in India are prominent beneficiaries and they are coming out of poverty at a faster pace.
Mahatma Gandhi once hadsaid that if he had to choose between freedom and sanitation,then he would choose sanitation. Gandhiji made a lot of efforts. After independence, we could have made it work but that didn’t happen. I requested the people of this nation from the Red Fort, urged the nation and this country with its own efforts is progressing satisfactorily at a fast pace towards cleanliness. This officer from Jammu and Kashmir, who is present here, had received the award for cleanliness. Great work was done, and people of the country are very proud. Open-Defecation-Free Jammu and Kashmir is in itself a big deal. When we came to power in 2014, rural sanitation in our country was 38 percent, today it is 98 percent. I have never said that this happened only because of the government. Once the people of a country become determined to bring a change, it brings results. Coming to the banks in our country, nationalization took a long time but accounts were not opened for the poor. We decided that a bank account should be created for every poor person. It was 40 percent of the people in 2014, but today in India, almost 100 percent of our people have bank accounts. Our country in totality has around 25-26 crore families approximately. And there were about 4 crore families with no electricity. We have pioneered a movement to bring electricity to every household and I am glad that today Jammu and Kashmir has completed this work. That is, once our country decides to come out of a problem, it will come out.
Now JammuKashmir has a dream that it will provide tap water to homes, it is a big dream.
I believe that team Jammu and Kashmir and its bureaucracy will also achieve this. We just have to decide that we have to fight poverty.The way to fight poverty is not by distributing ‘freebies’. The poor has to be empowered.
To overcome poverty we have to change the poverty mindset of thecountrymen. When we educate them about ‘Ayushman Bharat’ etc., then the poor will also feel that their days have come and they can move forward. They will think ‘My parents have lived in poverty, but I will not force my children to live in poverty’. I am watching the atmosphere and looking at the direction we are moving, I feel the rate of poverty will come down very fast. You will get relief from poverty. And that will be the day when we live to see with our own eyes that the country is free from poverty.
Question – Hon’ble Prime Minister, I am AnkitaKundu from Utkal University of Odisha. We have many heritage sites and splendid beaches. Sometimes I feel like doing something to promote tourism here, but then we don’t know what to do. How do you think one can do something for Odisha by connecting education with tourism?
Prime Minister - First of all, I congratulate you, and I am seeing an impact of your education on you, and you know the power of Odisha. Andyou are thinking about ways to use it.
Here, I see, electric fans are running and the people of Srinagar are surprised. It is true that there is a lot of potential for tourism in our country, but we have some indifference towards it. The development of tourism happens first on the condition that we should be proud of the things we have inherited as heritage, and have to learn about them.
It shouldn’t be our habit to consider these things useless. If you, yourself do not feel proud of your heritage and its worth, why will the world be interested in it? If you observe, wherever tourism has increased in the world, even if it is a small pillar, a guide tells you such a story about it, and with such pride that we take an immediate interest in it. Here in India, it’s not the case and some see it as a waste of money. See, if there is an indispensable sector of any fast growing economy, it is tourism. The business of tourism is worth trillions of dollars and it’s growing by the day. I remember, I went to the US several years ago, upon invitation from the American government. So they asked me what would I like to see in America, and I sent it in writing for my itinerary. I told them that I wished to go to a typical village and see a farm and the process the farmers use there. Secondly, I requested a visit to a school in a typical village. Thirdly, I asked about what a health facility inside a typical village, where some small settlement stays would function like, and fourthly, I asked for a visit to America's most archaic or historical thing, which America is proud of. Now they arranged for these visits and when it came to visit to a historical place, they took me to a ‘bell’ in Pennsylvania. When I asked about how old the bell was, they answered it could be around 300-400 years old, and that was the oldest monument they had, whereas, in India, if you go to a street, you’ll hearstories about things that are 2000-3000 years old. What a great heritage we have!But we didn’t work on tourism for these extraordinary monuments of the past with the required passion. Tourism generates livelihood opportunities. Orissa is so rich in tourism potential, be it the beaches or thearchitecture. For example, if you consider the example of Konark temple, it involves a lot of technology, engineering and innovation. Imagine the knowledge of itsarchitect! It is 2000 years old! This is a wonderful thing. We should promote tourism. It is true that tourism has expanded in our country in the last few years. Earlier around 70 lakh tourists used to visit our country from abroad but this year 1 crore tourists have visited our country. Usually about USD 18 billion of foreign currency used to pour in to India due to these foreign tourists. It has reached USD 27 billion this time. That is a 50 percent increase. So tourists have started coming, and the attraction of India has increased. Cleanliness plays a great part in it.
The nature of the citizens should also be moulded so that they can accept tourists. The students are with me here, who are going to be a part of RUSA, and technological innovation. I believe that you all youngsters can start a huge business like Uber in the tourism sector. For example, you can develop an app where anyone willing to rent a homestay for families could use that app. Just imagine! If one wants to visit India, this app can serve them, from the time they leave their homes and till the time they reach their homes.
You can develop a mechanism like Uber. You can connect the world by outsourcing and crowd-sourcing and I challenge and invite the youth here today that if you develop something like Uber, for those who want to give home stays on rent and for those who want to take them, you will get ten times more rooms than the hotel rooms today in the country. I just attended the programme of ‘PravasiBharatiya Divas’ in Benaras, and I am the MP of Kashi. I was surprised to see that thousands of people came forward, to give a room for foreign guests in their houses, now this will gradually grow into a very big business in Kashi.
It has become a habit. If we create an Uber-like app, for home stay business which is popular all over the world,I assure you that it will be a bigger hit than Uber. I would like to invite these youngsters here, who are associated with technology for accomplishing this idea.
Anchor - Thank you, Honourable Prime Minister. Honorable Prime Minister, you are from Gujarat and this question is from Gujarat. Vijay Kumar from M.N. College, Visnagar, Gujarat, has a question for you.
Question - Honourable Prime Minister, Namaskar, I am Vijay Kumar from M.N. College, Visnagar, Gujarat. Sir, since the budget was announced, I have been hearing about plans for farmers. Nobody can imagine that a plan of this large a scale can be implemented. Sir, I have also heard that you said in West Bengal, that the government will spend around 7 lakh 50 thousand crore rupees for the farmers in the next ten years. My question is, from where will the government bring so much money? Thank you.
Prime Minister - People keep reading newspapers printed by the opposition. Well you are from my neighbouring village, Visnagar, mine is Vadnagar. I am glad that I am speaking to you from Srinagar and it is refreshing my memories of my village. It is true that farmers are in a lot of trouble in the area you are from. There is a lot of water scarcity, andit’s is a dry area and I know it firsthand because I was born there. It is a very troublesome place. See there is no shortage of the resources in our country. It is unfortunate that a Prime Minister of India had once said that out of a rupee spent bythe government, only 15 paisa reaches the beneficiary. Now the advantage is that out goes a rupee and the beneficiary receives the complete 100 paisa. Secondly, when you use every rupee honestly, the tax payers also will like to pay taxes honestly. Because he sees that my money is being used properly. You can imagine, when I told the people of this country that if gas subsidy was not required, they might give it up. No law was made; I only requested, and the 1.25 billion families of my country gave up gas subsidy, and as a result gas connection has reached 25 crore poor families. Now the work is done. Senior citizens in railways get concession on railway tickets, so I asked to give an option ofgiving up subsidy in the form. I didn’t even appeal. I didn’t announce about it in any newspaper.But I saw that 42 lakh people in this countryhave given up subsidies. They paid theentire money for railway tickets by giving up their subsidy. This is how money comes. Once an environment of honesty is created, people will give money. They are ready.There is no hindrance due to lack of money. Today we are experiencing the country rapidly moving towards a $ 5 trillion economy.And I will tell a secret; your Chief Secretary, who once worked in the Prime Minister's Office and has worked with Dr Manmohan Singh ji had told me one day, “sir in your speech, tell our countrymen that India will become a 5 trillion dollars’ economy”. He had said so two years ago. That thought was in my mind, and today I am seeing that India will become a 5 trillion dollars’ economy, it will attain that right before our eyes and hence there is no shortage of money. Andas we have announced in this budget that 7.5 lakh crore rupees will go to farmers in the next ten years. Yes, it will become a force to reckon with and I believe that through this scheme, the farmers of our country will move forward with confidence.
Thank you…
Anchor - Thank you very much Prime Minister. Many students are here in this program now and you heard them on the screen. Thanks a lot honorablePrime Minister for encouraging all students and for giving a new light to the nation. Honorable Prime minister, you consider yourself, the chief servant of the country. Hon'ble Prime Minister has attached himself to the service of the country.
Prime Minister’s address:
Today the confidence of all the young people that I got to talk to andtheir positivity towards the future which I experienced is also encouraging for me, and is a boost to my energy. I would like to express my thanks to these young questioners from across the country. I should tell my companions from all over the country that here, the temperature in Srinagar, is very low. Maybe it will be fall to minus degrees by night. Despite this, many young Kashmiri brothers and sisters are present here. This shows the spirit of Kashmir and the Kashmiris.
My dear Governor of Jammu and Kashmir on the stage, ShriSatpal Malik ji, my cabinet colleague Dr. Jitendra Singh, and all my brothers and sisters present here!
Friends, today as I am in Srinagar, I pay homage to hundreds of heroes including Shaheed Nazir Ahmad Wani who offered their supreme sacrifice to protect the nation and for peace. Grateful nation has honored Shaheed Nazir Ahmad Wani, with the Ashoka Chakra for his indomitable courage and bravery. Only youngsters like him can show every youth of the country a way to live for our country and be dedicated to the country.
I congratulate the lakhs of people of Jammu and Kashmir, who after years, have conducted elections for Panchayats and urban bodies and have elected their representatives. Your loyalty to democracy sends a very strong message for vindictive people. Regardless of the number of people who tried to spread negativity, the number of you all who have reached the polling booths for the future of their own children, the development of Jammu and Kashmir further reinforces the spirit of the Kashmiris.
Friends,
Today, I laid the foundation stones and inaugurated schemes worth about 7 thousand crores. All these projects will help to make life easier for the people of Srinagar and surrounding areas. These projects are related to education, health and infrastructure. Many congratulations to all of you on this!
Friends,
As you have seen today, Srinagar is hosting a big eventrelated to the education system of India. Many of you must have noticed that 4.5 years back, all major programmes or the Central Government’s schemes used to be launched or formulated in VigyanBhawan of Delhi. But we have changed that old culture.
Our government launched the ‘Ayushman Bharat’ scheme from Jharkhand, ‘Ujjwala’ scheme was started from Uttar Pradesh, ‘Pradhan Mantri Suraksha BimaYojana’, ‘Pradhan MantriJeevanJyotiYojana’ were started in West Bengal. We started a national campaign involving handloom from Tamil Nadu. ‘BetiBachao-BetiPadhao’ was launched in Haryana and thePOSHAN Abhiyan was started from Rajasthan.
Now today we are all present in Srinagar for an important program related to the whole country. And today I am launching this program across the country from the land of Srinagar. Today we launched national high-level education campaign i.e. project involving second phase of RUSA. From here, 70 new model degree colleges across the country, 11 professional colleges, one women-university, more than 60 entrepreneurial, innovation and career hubs have been either inaugurated, or laid foundation stones for. Many of these institutions are here for Jammu and Kashmir as well.
Friends, it shows the direction in which ‘New-India’ is moving. What is our methodology to build a New India? The temperament is being developed in the country for research, innovation, incubation or startup. ‘Atal tinkering labs’ and ‘Atal incubation centers’ in schools across the country are strengthening our resolve of ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan and Jai anusandhan’. Srinagar has become a witness to this empowerment.
Friends, the impact of ‘startup-India’ campaign is that today after China and America, India has become the third largest startup nation. Over 15 thousand startups have been recognized in the last three-four years . About 50 percent of these startups are established in tier-one or tier-two cities.
Friends,
Besides startups, the country is also expanding its technology in rural areas. Today, more than three lakh village common service centers across the country are offering digital services and they are also connecting lakhs of youth to employment. Today in Bandipora, the first BPO of the state is opened to create new opportunities for the youth of Bandipora.
Brothers and sisters, the laying of foundation stone and inaugurations of the projects today are being done in such districts that are trying to advance in the race of development. In the second phase of RUSA, in about 375 districts, excellent educational institutions are being developed. This is another big step towards equality of opportunities. I believe that all the youth of these districts, when they get good institutions near their home, will be able to improve their skills.
Friends, when I talk about the confidence of New India, there is a solid basis behind it. Many in the country like nine-year-old Tazamul Islam, a daughter of Jammu and Kashmir, is an example of someone who would go on to do something even in difficult circumstances. The central government wants to boost the enthusiasm of these young companions. That is the reason why ‘Khelo India’, a talent hunt is being run in our country. Sports facilities are being developed even in small corners of our country. Here, a scheme to build ‘multi-purpose sports hall’ has been started in 22 districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Even today one such indoor stadium has been inaugurated at Ganderbal.
Friends,
We tried to accelerate the pace of development in Jammu and Kashmir in the past 7-8 months. The administration of this place is mobilized to make life of common man easy here. I have been told that many projects that have been stuck for ten or twenty years are also completed.
In the last two months, hundreds of doctors are recruited, and several projects like the bridge in Baramulla have been completed. I congratulate every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir on declaring the state as Open Defecation Free, before the scheduled time in September last year. I have also been told that, Jammu and Kashmir has been set to become the first state in the country where in every village, drinking water will be available through pipes. This is a very commendable effort.
Friends,
Our government makes sincere efforts in order to achieve the target within the stipulated time frame.You all might remember that from the Red Fort, I had announced that electricity would be providedto more than 18 thousand villages within one thousand days. Those villages lived in the dark for years even after our country attained freedom. We reached that goal within the time limit. Moreover, under the ‘Saubhagya’ scheme, a campaign is going on to give free electricity to crores of families of our country. Nearly 2.5 crore connections have been given. Very soon the remaining houses will also be illuminated. I am glad that in Jammu and Kashmir too, now electricity connection has reached almost every family. I heartily congratulate every engineer and the people of every department associated with the electricity department. Congratulations to the entire team of the state government.
Friends,
Efforts are being made to provide adequate electricity to every household in Jammu and Kashmir. In Leh, Ladakh, Kargil, Jammu and in Srinagar now, I had inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for many big projects related to power generation and transmission in a single day. Given the power requirements here, for the first time since independence, work is being done on such a wide scale. Our government tried to make use of the water that used to go waste before. Many power projects were started here with the thought of every drop of those waters to be used in the interest of Jammu and Kashmir.
Friends, all these projects are a result of the government's priority of infrastructure across the country. We are moving at a faster pace in the construction of roads, electricity, education and health infrastructure. To strengthen the health infrastructure of Jammu and Kashmir, the foundation stone of two AIIMS built in Jammu and Pulwamahas been laid today. Both of these are going to bring a big transformation in the health sector of the state.
Friends,
We are building modern hospitals and the world's largest health care scheme, ‘Ayushman Bharat’ has also been implemented. Such a huge health care scheme for the poor has never been implemented in the country’s history.Five lakh rupees worth of treatment is ensured every year for the poor under this scheme. About 50 crore poor people are under its purview, of which 30 lakh beneficiaries belong to Jammu and Kashmir.
Friends, with the ‘Ayushman Bharat’ scheme, more than 10 lakh poor people in the country so far have received free treatment. At present, this scheme has just completed 100 days. Major surgeries were done for 10 lakh people in a short time. They will get new life today. Because of this scheme, on an average everyday, more than ten thousand poor people are getting free treatment. This is the largest scheme in the world with 50 crore beneficiaries. We have Ayushman Bharat Scheme for more people than the total population of America, Canada and Mexico combined. One can imagine how big a feat it is!
Friends,
A scheme like Ayushman Bharat is also the best example of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ because the beneficiaries of Jammu and Kashmir can avail this scheme anywhere in the country. Imagine you had to go to Mumbai and you sufferfrom an illness there.If you are registered here, then you can avail benefits without spending on treatment at a hospital in Mumbai. Or if someone from Mumbai is here in Srinagar and he has some health issue, he can take advantage of the scheme here. Government has made all the arrangements. This power of resource sharing is our country's biggest strength. Indians could help each other in every difficult situation; this is the spirit and feeling of India and Kashmir.
Friends,
It is the demand of this Kashmiriyat that Kashmiri Pandit brothers and sisters who had to leave their homes, their land and memories of their ancestors from here, in the era of violence would be settled here with due respect. We are trying to ensure the same through ‘Pradhan MantriVikas’ package. The state administration has started building transit-accommodation in Veshu and Sheikpura. Today in Bandipura and Ganderbal, I had the opportunity to lay the foundation of a scheme to extend transit-accommodation. This plan is also part of the ‘Pradhan MantriVikas’ Package.
Friends,
After the construction of about 700 flats here, the displaced families will get a new roof over their heads. The government will try to ensure that whoever wants to come back here would have full security and respect here.
Friends,
Government is also committed to provide employment opportunities to the displaced Kashmiri Pandits. Under the PM Development Package announced in the year 2015, the state administration has approved three thousand appointments. I am sure that these recruitments will happen soon.
Friends, as I mentioned earlier, the heroes of Jammu and Kashmir, Shaheed Nazir Ahmad Wani, Shaheed Muhammad Aurangzeb and Tzamur Hussain, who for the peace and betterment of the country, have sacrificed their lives. Hero is the one who lives to fulfil dreams, and the one who kills dreams of another is a coward.
Today, the whole country is in a rage seeing innocent, unarmed, Kashmiri sons and daughters being killed because they want peace, they want to live. They are becoming victims of terrorism. This is the reality of terrorism here. I assure you, the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, and the whole country that we will fight this terrorism with full force. Every terrorist will be given a befitting reply. Through the surgical Strike, we have told the world, what the new policy of India is! We will continue to break the back of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Development of Jammu and Kashmir and its people is our priority and it always will be. I once again congratulate you all on schemes related to education and infrastructure projects. I assure you the dream envisionedby Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji, and the workmanship we got as an inheritance, we won’t back down on that. We will show that feeling by realizing his dream. Whether it is Ladakh,or Srinagar or Jammu, we want every citizen to feel included. We believe in the mantra of "Sabkasaathsabkavikas". To bring back that competent and peaceful Kashmir, we will do whatever is necessary for our families here, for every child of ours, and for their bright future which is also the future of India. Keeping that in mind, I will continue to do my best and I wish you all the very best from the heart.
Thank you!!